Beauty Tips We've Ever Learned from Zendaya

Listen up.

Fact: Zendaya perpetually schools us on beauty and culture, quietly boasting a wisdom that exceeds her age. Whether she's walking the red carpet, appearing in a Beyoncé music video, or even addressing criticism, it's never without the utmost eloquence or lack of insight—the girl just gets it. And from a beauty standpoint alone, she constantly surprises us and has become one of our all-time favorite muses. From the anti-contouring trend she helped foster, to her beauty philosophy, we're counting down some of the best beauty tips we've learned from the singer and actress so far, of course.

Try Non-touring

Non-touring, the anti-contour that embraces a fresh, dewy finish without heavy face sculpting, is the perfect way to fake your daily eight glasses of water (but seriously, still drink it). The actress famously does her own non-touring, even for the biggest red carpets. Rather than creating a stark shadow underneath the cheekbones, non-touring is a hybrid between strobing and no-makeup makeup, but with a flair of "I just got back from Cabo."

To master the trend, apply a smoothing primer like Tula's Face Filter Blurring & Moisturizing Primer ($34). Next, choose a lightweight BB cream or tinted moisturizer to apply on top—the goal here is to let the skin shine through versus cover it up with a heavyweight foundation. Finally, use a non-glittery highlighter to strategically (and lightly) apply it across your Cupid's bow, down the middle of the nose, brow bone, and tops of the cheeks. We like Lune+Aster's SuperStar Highlighter ($34) for this step. To go the extra mile, you can spritz your finished look with a face mist like MAC's Prep + Prune Fix+ ($29)—it's vitamin-packed and delivers hydration along with a soft sheen to the skin. It's the perfect last step to lock in your non-tour.

User Shimmer Powder

"Shimmer," she says. "I love shimmery stuff. That’s my secret. Once I do all this makeup, and I put shimmery powder on, it’s like, Oh my gosh—your skin is so fresh and glowy! Nope. It’s actually just shimmer powder." Try this one from Hourglass, which creates a soft-focus, illuminating finish to the skin— sans glitter—with the brand's impressive Photoluminescent Technology. Go for a big fluffy powder brush (versus a dense brush) when it comes to application, as it'll deliver a more diffused look. It Cosmetics' Heavenly Luxe Wand Ball Powder Brush #8 ($48) is a prime pick for its ultra-soft bristles and tapered shape. We love pairing it with the velvety-smooth Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder— it expertly diffuses and illuminates the skin for a soft-focus, glow-from-within effect.

Embrace Changes In Your Looks

It's probably pretty easy to garner this from her countless bold red carpet appearances, but Zendaya came right out and said it when we chatted with her. "If you’re asking for the answers, they don’t exist," she said. "Beauty has no definition, and if you do create a definition for yourself as you grow older, it’s ever-changing. It’ll be very different from when you’re 18 years old to when you’re 22 and 30. Take your time." PREACH.

Get Inspired By Others

In a beauty rut? Take a cue from the runway, red carpet, or your favorite celeb —that's what Zendaya does. "In general, it comes to whatever I’m wearing that day, whatever seems to pop into my head," she says of her famously unpredictable turns on the red carpet. "A lot of times, it’s past inspirations. Bianca Jagger was one inspiration; Cher was a huge inspiration for my VMAs look a few years ago. Everything just repeats itself."

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